1767 milestones

Under the designation 1767 Milestones , the remaining milestones erected along the Boston Post Road from Boston to Springfield are registered as a Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The naming does not refer to the number, but to the year 1767, in which the last stones were erected to complete it. In the entire state of Massachusetts in the United States , along with these 40 milestones, there are still 129 original trail markers.

The milestones registered in the NRHP, which mostly consist of granite or sandstone , are largely on state routes . However, some are on private land and five have been built into walls or a monument. The monolithic path markings have heights between 30 cm and 1.5 m, widths between 45.7 cm and 91.5 cm and depths of 10 cm to 30.5 cm. The stones in what is now Boston were erected by Paul Dudley ( Attorney General of the Province of Massachusetts Bay and son of Joseph Dudley ) and bear his initials.

Historical meaning

The Massachusetts Parliament passed a law on the measurement and documentation of colonial postal routes in 1764 on the basis of a corresponding decision by the Board of Trade with the stipulation that "the total expenditure should not exceed 200 pounds". The new construction and repair of existing milestones along the Boston Post Road from Boston to Springfield, which took place on this basis, marks an important step in the history of the US transportation system. In 1960 a law was passed for the permanent maintenance of the milestones; 40 of the original 99 markings could still be found at this point in time.

On April 7, 1971, the milestones were added to the National Register of Historic Places . On February 22, 1989, the 1767 Milestones were classified as a Historic District .

List of still existing milestones

The following table lists all existing or renewed milestones (as of January 2014).

Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

Serial No.	Distance to Boston [ mi ]	Built	Coordinates	place	Web link	Remarks
1	1	1744	Roxbury / Center Street 42 ° 19 ′ 48.2 " N , 71 ° 5 ′ 30.4" W.42.330054 -71.091775	Boston	MACRIS database entry	Known as Parting Stone or Parting Ways Stone .
2	4th	1729	841 Huntington Avenue 42 ° 19 ′ 58.6 " N , 71 ° 6 ′ 38.4" W.42.33294 -71.110663	Boston	MACRIS database entry
3	5	1729	210 Harvard Street 42 ° 20 ′ 25.2 ″ N , 71 ° 7 ′ 15 ″ W.42.340335 -71.120841	Brookline	MACRIS database entry
4th	6th	1729	142 Harvard Avenue 42 ° 21 ′ 6.2 " N , 71 ° 7 ′ 54" W.42.351712 -71.131657	Boston	MACRIS database entry
5	7th	1729	240 North Harvard Street 42 ° 21 '41.7 " N , 71 ° 7' 48.5" W.42.361594 -71.130135	Boston	MACRIS database entry
6th	8th	1734	Garden St. Burying Ground 42 ° 22 ′ 30.3 ″ N , 71 ° 7 ′ 9.5 ″ W.42.375077 -71.119303	Cambridge	MACRIS database entry
7th	23	1767	River and Water Row Road 42 ° 22 ′ 19 ″ N , 71 ° 23 ′ 7.4 ″ W.42.371939 -71.385402	Wayland	MACRIS database entry
8th	24	1767	MA 20 & Landham Road 42 ° 21 ′ 39.8 " N , 71 ° 24 ′ 6.7" W.42.361057 -71.401867	Sudbury	MACRIS database entry
9	25th	1767	MA 20 & Concord Road 42 ° 21 ′ 44.1 ″ N , 71 ° 24 ′ 58.2 ″ W.42.362247 -71.41617	Sudbury	MACRIS database entry
10	26th	1767	MA 20 & Nobscot Road 42 ° 21 ′ 36.4 ″ N , 71 ° 25 ′ 29.9 ″ W.42.360109 -71.424979	Sudbury	MACRIS database entry
11	27	1767	MA 20 & Dudley Road 42 ° 21 ′ 36.4 " N , 71 ° 26 ′ 13.2" W.42.36012 -71.437011	Sudbury	MACRIS database entry	Is missing
12	28	1767	MA 20 & Peakham Road 42 ° 21 '35 .3 " N , 71 ° 27' 30.3" W.42.359808 -71.458415	Sudbury	MACRIS database entry
13	29	1767	Wayside Inn Road 42 ° 21 ′ 28.7 " N , 71 ° 28 ′ 16.6" W.42.357972 -71.471268	Sudbury	MACRIS database entry
14th	33	1767	148 East Main Street 42 ° 19 ′ 44.8 " N , 71 ° 37 ′ 20.6" W.42.329113 -71.622375	Northborough	MACRIS database entry
15th	35	1767	Dean Park 42 ° 17 ′ 45.4 " N , 71 ° 41 ′ 48" W.42.295936 -71.696664	Shrewsbury	MACRIS database entry
16	43	1767	West Main Street & Interstate 90 42 ° 17 ′ 39.3 ″ N , 71 ° 45 ′ 0.1 ″ W.42.294254 -71.750019	Shrewsbury	MACRIS database entry
17th	47	1767	Lincoln Street 42 ° 16 ′ 41.2 " N , 71 ° 47 ′ 39.9" W.42.278119 -71.794415	Worcester	MACRIS database entry
18th	48	1767	30 Elm Street 42 ° 15 ′ 53.9 " N , 71 ° 48 ′ 16.3" W.42.264959 -71.804535	Worcester	MACRIS database entry	Until 1987 the marker was located at 139 Salisbury Street
19th	53	1767	514 Main Street 42 ° 14 ′ 24 ″ N , 71 ° 53 ′ 7 ″ W.42.239987 -71.885266	Leicester	MACRIS database entry	Originally MA 9 & Colliers Corner
20th	54	1767	City Library 42 ° 14 ′ 45.5 ″ N , 71 ° 54 ′ 44 ″ W.42.24598 -71.91221	Leicester	MACRIS database entry	Originally 101 Pleasant Street; Moved to the city library in 1996
21st	56	1767	MA 9 42 ° 15 ′ 1.2 ″ N , 71 ° 56 ′ 34.6 ″ W.42.250346 -71.942951	Leicester	MACRIS database entry	Badly weathered condition
22nd	57	1767	MA 9 42 ° 15 '20.9 " N , 71 ° 57' 27.6" W.42.255808 -71.957658	Spencer	MACRIS database entry
23	58	1767	325 Main Street 42 ° 15 ′ 7.5 ″ N , 71 ° 58 ′ 32.9 ″ W.42.252078 -71.975794	Spencer	MACRIS database entry
24	59	1767	Main Street 42 ° 14 ′ 38.3 " N , 71 ° 59 ′ 37.5" W.42.24398 -71.99376	Spencer	MACRIS database entry
25th	60	1767	Dewey Street 42 ° 14 ′ 7.1 " N , 72 ° 0 ′ 32.3" W.42.23531 -72.00897	Spencer	MACRIS database entry	Moved to the current location after 1970
26th	61	1767	133 West Main Street 42 ° 13 '53.3 " N , 72 ° 1' 35.3" W.42.23147 -72.02646	Spencer	MACRIS database entry
27	62	1767	324 East Main Street 42 ° 13 ′ 37.4 " N , 72 ° 2 ′ 43.6" W.42.22706 -72.04544	East Brookfield	MACRIS database entry	Re-engraved after 1970
28	63	1767	184 North Brookfield Road 42 ° 13 '40.3 " N , 72 ° 3' 46.4" W.42.22787 -72.062901	East Brookfield	MACRIS database entry
29	64	circa 1752	Elm Hill Road 42 ° 13 ′ 51.2 " N , 72 ° 4 ′ 43.9" W.42.2309 -72.07886	Brookfield	MACRIS database entry
30th	65	circa 1752	Elm Hill Road 42 ° 13 ′ 19.6 " N , 72 ° 5 ′ 36.1" W.42.22211 -72.09337	Brookfield	MACRIS database entry
31	66	1767	31 West Main Street 42 ° 12 ′ 59.7 " N , 72 ° 6 ′ 36.4" W.42.216572 -72.110111	Brookfield	MACRIS database entry
32	67	circa 1765	102 Foster Hill Road 42 ° 13 ′ 39 ″ N , 72 ° 7 ′ 13.8 ″ W.42.227502 -72.120488	West Brookfield	MACRIS database entry	The stone was of Benjamin Franklin designed
33	68	1753	Eastern city limits 42 ° 14 ′ 10.2 ″ N , 72 ° 8 ′ 13.2 ″ W42.236168 -72.137009	West Brookfield	MACRIS database entry	The stone was of Benjamin Franklin designed
34	69	circa 1765	147 West Main Street 42 ° 14 '2.7 " N , 72 ° 9" 23.4 " W.42.23407 -72.15649	West Brookfield	MACRIS database entry	The stone was of Benjamin Franklin designed
35	70	1753	Main Street 42 ° 13 ′ 22.1 ″ N , 72 ° 10 ′ 17.9 ″ W.42.222811 -72.171627	Warren	MACRIS database entry
36	71	1753	Burbank & Washington Street 42 ° 12 '46.6 " N , 72 ° 10' 57.6" W.42.212956 -72.182658	Warren	MACRIS database entry
37	72	1753	25 Winthrop Terrace 42 ° 12 ′ 48.1 ″ N , 72 ° 11 ′ 31.2 ″ W.42.21336 -72.192009	Warren	MACRIS database entry	Moved to the current location after 1970
38	73	1753	Baypath Road 42 ° 11 ′ 55.3 " N , 72 ° 12 ′ 15.2" W.42.198698 -72.204223	Warren	MACRIS database entry
39	74	1753	970 Reed Street 42 ° 11 ′ 19.3 ″ N , 72 ° 13 ′ 9.5 ″ W.42.188689 -72.219313	Warren	MACRIS database entry
40	99	1767	3rd floor of the Springfield Armory Museum 42 ° 6 ′ 26.1 ″ N , 72 ° 34 ′ 53.3 ″ W42.107253 -72.581481	Springfield	MACRIS database entry	Moved to its present location around 1980 as part of a parking lot extension

Web links

Commons : 1767 Milestones - Collection of images, videos and audio files

literature

Richard W. Hale, Jr .: National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form. ( PDF ) National Park Service , March 10, 1971, accessed on May 16, 2016 (English, accessible via the "NR" button).

Individual evidence

^ Mary E. Gage, JE Gage: Milestones & guideposts of Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire . Powwow River Books, Amesbury, MA 2014, ISBN 978-0-9816141-7-5 .
↑ cf. Hale, p. 2.
↑ cf. Hale, p. 3.
↑ Entry in the National Register Information System . National Park Service , accessed June 13, 2016
^ National Register Information System . In: National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service . Retrieved November 2, 2013.
↑ cf. Hale, p. 11 f.

[Gage-1] Mary E. Gage, JE Gage: Milestones & guideposts of Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire . Powwow River Books, Amesbury, MA 2014, ISBN 978-0-9816141-7-5 .

[2] . Hale, p. 2.

[3] . Hale, p. 3.

[4] Entry in the National Register Information System . National Park Service , accessed June 13, 2016

[5] National Register Information System . In: National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service . Retrieved November 2, 2013.

[6] . Hale, p. 11 f.